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Dec 27th Variant Rules for Spellcasters: Mana

This variant rule changes the way spellcasters prepare and cast spells. Overall, it increases spellcaster’s versatility and power. The main reason I came up with this system is to make it more fun for my spellcasting players, and to help keep the game going. Under these rules, they are less likely to end up out of useful spells, bored, firing crossbow bolts, and wanting to stop adventuring to rest.

Under these variant rules, instead of memorizing and casting a set number of spells each day, spellcasters have a new attribute called mana, a pool of magical power that they use to cast spells. See the charts below for available mana at each level, the highest level spell available, and bonus mana for high ability scores.

Mana is used to spontaneously cast spells from the spellcaster’s list of known spells. The number of points of mana expended in the casting of a spell cast is equal to the spell level (0th level spells cost no mana points). Metamagic spells are all now cast spontaneously, including the quickened spells, and raise the mana spent according to their level adjustment. This adjusted level cannot exceed the Highest Level Spell for that character’s level (see chart below). For example, a 10th level wizard could cast a quickened shield spell, and it would cost her 5 mana points to do so. They could not, however cast a quickened dimension door until they reached 15th level.

Mana is regained daily differently for each class, in the same way that they previously refreshed their daily spells: clerics pray to their deity at a certain time of day, wizards consult their spellbooks, and other spellcasters merely rest.

Game Balance Issues: at high levels, spellcasters can cast their most powerful (and often, very deadly) spells over and over again.

Re-Balancing Ideas:

“You took too much”: if a character casts high level spells for three rounds in a row, they have to make a will save (or an ability level check, like an intelligence check for wizards) equal to how many points of mana they spent in the last three rounds. If they fail the check they lose the spell and become dazed for 1 round.

“less magic”: cut mana gain 1/2 or 2/3 for levels above 7th or 10th. Dosen’t really solve the problem though.

“change defensive casting” so that a successful concentration check means you only get a +8 (or +4) AC vs attacks of opportunity.

Mana By Character Level (high magic)

Character Level	Wizard or Druid Mana	Wizard Highest Level Spell	Cleric Mana	Cleric Highest Level Spell	Bard Mana	Bard Highest Level Spell
1	2	1	3	1	1	0
2	4		5		1	1**
3	6	2	9	2	2	1
4	9		12		3	2**
5	12	3	18	3	6	2
6	17		23		8
7	22	4	32	4	8	3**
8	29		39		13	3
9	36	5	41	5	16
10	45		60		16	4**
11	54	6	75	6	23	4
12	65		86		26
13	76	7	104	7	26	5**
14	89		117		36	5
15	102	8	138	8	42
16	117		153		44	6**
17	132	9	177	9	58	6
18	149		194		68
19	165	10*	210	10*	79	7*
20	182		227		85

* for metamagic purposes only

** assumes the bard has a high enough Charisma score to have a bonus spell of this level

Bonus Mana by Ability Score

Score	Highest Level Spell at which bonus mana is Received
	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th
1-9	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
10-11	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
12-13	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
14-15	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
16-17	1	2	3	0	0	0	0	0	0
18-19	1	2	3	4	0	0	0	0	0
20-21	2	2	3	4	5	0	0	0	0
22-23	2	4	3	4	5	6	0	0	0
24-25	2	4	6	4	5	6	7	0	0
26-27	2	4	6	8	5	6	7	8	0
28-29	3	4	6	8	10	6	7	8	9
30-31	3	6	6	8	10	12	7	8	9
32-33	3	6	9	8	10	12	14	8	9
34-35	3	6	9	12	10	12	14	16	9
36-37	4	6	9	12	15	12	14	16	18
38-39	4	8	9	12	15	18	14	16	18
40-41	4	8	12	12	15	18	21	16	18
42-43	4	8	12	16	15	18	21	24	18
44-45	5	8	12	16	20	18	21	24	27
Etc…

Posted in Variant Rules and tagged Spellcasting by Adam A. Thompson with no comments yet.